Bus Ride
by Yuyi
Summary: Will a chance encounter between a girl running for freedom and a boy looking for his father strike love into their lonely hearts?
1. Scene One

"Every girl wants to fall in love, at least once before they die.'---The author of this story

SCENE ONE

It was even more crowded than hot sitting in a crowded bus for several hours, whenever you moved, whether a knee or an elbow, you jabbed it into another person. That also meant whenever others moved they also jabbed in to you, and believe me when I write even the calmest of person had to stretch on an afternoon bus in downtown Tokyo. Tohru felt her breath quicken as the city flew by her bus window---whether it was from the heat, the over crowdedness or her anxiety she didn't bother to care. All she knew was that she had trouble breathing…and if she didn't take care of it she would make scene and her family would drag her back to that prison they called a home until the day she died.

"Uh…uh…uh…." She whimpered softly while trying to hide her face.

Hiiiiissssssss…. the bus stopped and some passengers stood up and walked single file down the lane between the benches. Even as sick as Tohru was, she still studied the different types of people with curiosity. There was an old lady whose back was arched like a Dodo bird with a small girl bouncing on the balls of her feet. An old man with spectacles half the size of his face and deep lines carved around his eyes like the lines on his shirt. These were people Torhu had never ever seen in her life…they seemed so interesting! The lady who had sat next to Tohru also made her way off the bus, Tohru was glad because she didn't want anyone to notice her. She leaned her head back against the head rest and pressed an acupunctural point on her hand that her doctor had told her would help her channels or something that would relieve her lungs. The sour and sudden pain she felt was soon followed by a mellow, warm comfort in her chest…Tohru sighed in relief and opened her eyes.

"Hello." Tohrou felt her seat cushion levitate as someone sat next to hers.

            Tohru felt her heartbeat quicken, was it someone sent by her family to come and fetch her back? No…no…she'll just pretend to be someone else…

"Heelllooo" Tohru tried to fake a foreign accent from a country none's heard of, her 'o' sounded like 'lou'.  There was pause o silence…Tohru tried to comfort herself, yes! He fell for it! He thinks I'm from Brazil! Maybe when he's distracted I put on my sunglasses and find a handkerchief to cover my hair like a turban… it will convince him even more ----

Something our main character totally didn't except happened, a refreshing and completed surprised laughter erupted.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to muffle it." Came the rich yet boyish voice again, if voices could have a look, it would look like honey and deep, dark chocolate.

Tohru turned around (without the sunglasses and handkerchief as a turban). Her eyes grew big and round like two blue circles and her mouth turned into a perfect round 'O'. He sat next to her with his two legs propped up on the back of the bench in front of them, with one arm draped around the back of their chair and the other trying to cover his mouth from more laughter.

"Excuse me…" Tohru felt she had to ask, "But what are you laughing at?"

"Sorry…it's just that your voice….(more laughter)I'v never heard such a funny accent!!! Bwuahahahahahahahahhahahaha!!!!"

The boy completely lost it now; with his eyes closed (as if looking at Tohru was going to make him lose it even more) he grasped his sides with his two hands and shook from head to toe in laughter…Tohru thought she saw a tear or two quaking from his eyelids. He was in a state of trouble right now because he couldn't find anything to pound against, you see, that's a very important thing when you are laughing very hard. You need to find another outlet to let out your feelings other than your own body. As this boy was searching for something to bang on with his eyes closed and still shaking in a tremendous amount of laughter, he failed to see a girl beside him…a very disturbed girl. Tohru's cheeks flushed like two purple bubblegum still being blown, they just kept getting larger and larger and looked on the verge of exploding. When the boy thought he had laughed enough he wiped his eyes and turned to face the one he was laughing at to apologize. He turned and gulped, she was not who he remembered at all…for one thing, her head has seemed considerably smaller.

"Ah…."He started.

"It's very rude to laugh at someone just like that!" Tohru's eyebrows slid into slants over her large and angry eyes. Her nose felt tightened and she could almost feel it…flaring, and her lips pushed themselves into a frown and brought her chin up with them.

It was odd, but Tohru had never felt so mad in her entire life! Not even at the fact that she could only spent such a short time outside, or so disturbed…right now she felt less calm than when she found out she could only live so long! The boy stared at her with his mouth a little open, like a fish. His brown (or green? I'm sure someone will correct me later…) eyes settled back into their original shapes…and Tohru found her self looking back at a pair of beautiful almond eyes. His hair was a shocking color of…orange? Tohru tried to see it as blonde, but couldn't when she compared it to another blonde lady sitting a few chairs away. It was then that his hair was definitely pronounced as orange. The boy flushed a little at his own rudeness, but was too stubborn to admit it so now that she had confronted him so. 

"Where are you from? Southern Himalayas or something?" He tried to direct the blame off of himself by casually starting a conversation. The girl still looked back at him like a little kindergartener that is accusing him of stealing her teddy bear. For some reason this was making him feel awkward and guilty…even more so than when his mother caught him reading the comics he stuck inside his science textbook.

The bus swerved around a corner and sunlight fell on the boy, it splashed his hair with so much natural sunlight that it looked as though God had given him a golden halo. His face was illuminated with so much white light it looked like bright snow on a sunny day. His beauty was overwhelming to Tohru, who was a girl that did not see many beauty of this kind in her life. She only glimpsed this type of beauty in the descriptions in the fancy words of fairy tale books and the rest was left to her mind to piece together. This moment of revelation was so overcome with unexpectedness that she did the only she could hat was not fainting, which was to gasp.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked and leaned in closer; he was worried that she was from Russia perhaps and now felt even more offended.

"I…" She smelled a sweet smell as he leaned towards her, making his face even better to study details, like the straight line easing into a curve above his eyelids and the tiny brown specks in his eyes…the way his brows lifted and the lid below his eyes lifted to show his confusion at something. Tohru suddenly realized that this was the first time she was ever so close to anyone, needless to say a boy. The boy was in turn studying her (they were both studying each other profoundly in this minute, but neither of them would admit it for the life of themselves); he couldn't help but wonder how her skin could be so pale. He had seen pale skin before but it was always hinted with at least a fringe of colors. However this girl…her skin was like snow its self--- pure and white, as if she's never seen the sun before.

Now I'm sure she's from somewhere cold, thought the boy with his eyebrow narrowing in thoughtfulness, she must feel so offended by now, because I know how offended I can be when people think my hair is fake…she must be from Russia, I've seen pictures of Russians and they always have those funny fur hats on…he continued to debate the subject inside his head for some more time with alternating funny faces. The left corners of his mouth would turn up and then slide over to his right, or his eyes would open and then close and then look up at the ceiling of the bus. Tohru was panicking more and more by the minute, He is looking at me with such suspicion…she thought, he must recognize me as the missing girl from the posters all over town…please do not recognize me! I don't want to go back to a family that locks me up all the time…Ah! His eyes keep closing and opening, he must be trying to recollect the memory of the girl in the poster to my face! 

"Oh I'm sorry!" The boy spoke suddenly just as Tohru was thinking whether she should jump out the window or not. Tohru was so startled that she hiccupped. 

The boy smiled an apologetic smile and scratched the back of his head sheepishly,

 "I didn't mean to make the mistake."

Mistake? Tohru let out a big sigh of relief, he thinks he is mistaken, he thinks I'm not the girl everybody is looking for.

Just then, sitting from a couple of seats away, a mother tried to calm her crying baby.

The boy cringed at the cries and lowered his voice a little, "Because I know your identity is very important to you."

Thump-Thump…responded Tohru's heart very loudly and quickly. He's whispering, and people only whisper because they don't want others to hear or if it's a secret, so Tohru concluded, he knows my secret and he's going to blackmail me! 

"I mean if everybody thought my hair was fake, I would get angry a lot too." He sighed. "So I'm sorry…."

Tohru felt very angry again, how could he say he was sorry for going to blackmail her? He was obviously an evil person who only wanted her money! Now she was going to have to put her dreams aside and work hard and pay him a certain sum every month. She would have to work now until she was old and grey and then she'll have to cook for him because…wait, she would be dead by then. A dark cloud gloomed over Tohru's thoughts…that's right…she remembered sadly, I have only four more years to live because of my sickness…

FLASHSBACK

            Tohru remembered going to her usual medical check up on the usual Thursday. Her aunt had commented that the sky was a rotted black corpse and that it was just like life on the way. Tohru hated the doctor's office; it was full of gray and black things, colors that Tohru hated. The only thing white was the doctor's over coat, which was still a shade of light gray when examined closely, but compared to his office he stood out like new snow. If he were in Tohru's garden on a sunny day though, he would look like coal. Tohru also didn't like the doctor as a person; he was an elderly tall and thin man who would leave a whiff of cigarettes smells when he past you by. Tohru also didn't like the way he talked; he spoke kindly to her and her aunt but whenever one of his staff came in his voice would drop from an angelic tone to an icy, cold bark. And the change would take place so fast Tohru's stomach would hurt.

            "Now Tohru-san, please do not feel over upset when I tell you what I am about to. Please remember that I, along with you parents will always be here with you." He had said with only his lips smiling.

Tohru could feel her aunt's hand tighten on her shoulder and winced in pain.

"Please let go, Auntie." She whispered. Her aunt did not seem to hear her and did not move her hand from Tohru's shoulder.

"According to your blood tests and scans we have found a virus in your lungs…now I will not get complicated…" He paused to glanced at inside a yellow folder. He then took off his glasses, rubbed at the points between his eyes and above his nose, as if to relief some pain. Then he glanced up and Tohru could see the blackness of his eyes. 

"The virus will spread and eventually eat up your lungs… There is no cure and you have about four or less years to live."

"Oh doctor!" Tohru's aunt cried out in sudden alarm, "Is there no cure? Are you sure? Our family will pay whatever the price!"

The doctor sighed as if that took some strength away from him, "The best thing to do is to not see too much sun and stay in doors."

FLASHBACK ENDS

(A.N) Yes…I updated…the next day…how odd….THANKYOU SO MUCH jack! For your wonderful review! And yes, I am sick of those stories with the same plots!  That's why I wrote this story! Please review.

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	2. Scene Two

SCENE TWO – A Golden Apple On A Dead Tree

It was a sunny day. It was a day in the middle of summer, where the trees hummed with the warm wind and the ground was covered with warm, golden spots. Back in the bus, with its calming well of chats among its passengers, and this beautiful stranger beside her, Tohru felt safe.

"Can you tell me where we are please?" Tohru asked as she looked out of the window and saw a strange neighborhood.

"Well...that depends on where you want to go." Kyou replied.

"I…I don't know exactly…I just wanted to leave from where I came from."

Kyou mused and quoted the famous cat, "Then it doesn't matter where you are does it?"

Tohru gasped, and her eyes opened wide at this truth and cried. Her little body shook and heaved, like a little tree stuck in a rainstorm. A river streams down her face rapidly.

Kyou waited till she quieted down and then said, "If you don't mind, I would like to listen to your problems and try to help you."

"I don't want to say."

The bus kept on driving down the road and never once stopped to turn around.

"You're a run away aren't you?" Kyou suddenly asked.

Tohru didn't say anything but instead turned around with her back facing him.

Kyou looked up at the ceiling of the bus, it was bruised from mold and dirt.

"My mom doesn't like it when I eat with my left hand. My dad was left handed and ever since he left she doesn't want to see anything that reminds her of him. Well, I was born left handed so it took me awhile to learn to use my right." Kyou sighed as Tohru turned around to look at him.

"One day I accidentally used my left hand, it was out of reflex and she beat me so bad I had to be in the hospital for a week. That was when I was six. "

Kyou raised his left hand. It was limp.

"I can't use it anymore." Kyou said with a sad smile. Tohru reached up and took it in her own hands,

"Your hand is beautiful." She brought it to her cheek as a tear slid out her left eye.

"Don't cry…" He looked uncomfortable but didn't withdraw his hand. "It doesn't hurt anymore…and I still have my right hand and I've learned how to use it really well now."

He took out a pen and paper, "I'll write your name with my right hand to show you how well I use it...what is it?"

"I…I…" Tohru shook her head, "I don't want to tell you..I don't want anyone to know."

Kyou smiled and turned to write on the paper. When he was done he turned it up to face her.

"Snow White…" Tohru read.

"That's like you…you have pale skin and dark hair and you ran away from home."

"We both are runways aren't we." Tohru looked at him sadly.

"Yes. We ran away and found each other." He mused, "Maybe this is destiny."

"This is my first time on a bus. Actually, this is my first time anywhere. I've lived at my estate all my life."

Kyou didn't say anything, he just let her lean her head on his shoulder and stroked her hair.

"I never did anything myself…I was always taken care of. If I wanted breakfast someone would make it for me. If was cold someone would put the heat for me. Maybe that's why I got sick…I was too useless so life wanted to give up on me."

"Shhh…don't say that," Kyou dropped a kiss on the side of her head, "it's not your fault you're rich. Your parents should have known better and gave you more independence."

"My parents are dead. They died when I was really little. My aunt and uncle brought me up. They spoil me because they don't want to love me."

Kyou pulled her head into his lap, so she was looking up at him.

"I could see it in her eyes. She looked at me like I was a nuisance. She would walk by me and pretend I wasn't there. Once when I fell off my bike, she looked at me and said, 'I have to go to a party tonight so don't stay up too late.' And then walked away."

Kyou leaned his head down and tried to kiss away her tears.

"So when they found out I was sick…they locked me up in that little room. I only saw the nurse everyday and the doctor once a week. My aunt and uncle never came to visit me. I think they were waiting for me to die."

"What are you going to do now?" Kyou asked quietly with his lips wet with her tears.

"What are you going to do?" Tohru whispered.

"I want to take you with me." He held her tight.

"Kyou…will you kiss me?" She asked.

_How Will You Kiss? _

"Of course…first a thousand kisses…then a thousand more…"

_Lilt me your lips,  
our lost breath intermingling._

Synchronize our silence  
as lazy hours ease by.

Waft cocoa, hazelnut, cinnamon,  
scents around me.

Tremble with me  
in paralyzing pauses.

I may no longer breathe  
without breathing you.

- Judith Pordon


	3. Scene Three

SCENE THREE 

A dark blanket pulled over the sky and the moon lit up as a night-night for the city of Tokyo. Traffic was busy as ever and filled the roads with flashes of red and yellow. Among the busy cars, there was a shuttle bus filled with tired passengers. Some of them were sleeping while others chatted quietly to themselves.

" I'm searching for my dad." Kyou began his story as Tohru was drifting into sleep.

"He was cheating on my mother at the time so she kicked him out. But I don't care about that…he is the only family I have left so I'm going to find him."

"Hmmm…" Tohru nodded in agreement.

"He was a pianist, and he taught me a lot about music. Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Hayden and then Ray Charles, Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Parker…he was into everything...he didn't care if it was written 200 hundred years ago or 50. I'd wake up every morning early just to hear him play on the piano. Mom would listen along with me…it was the only time I can remember when we were really a family."

"He sounds wonderful." Tohru turned and smiled at him.

"He was and is." Kyou said with confidently.

"Tell me more." Tohru closed her eyes and gave a little sigh of someone very close to sleep.

"He always told me that I can be anything I wanted to be. He wanted to be a famous pianist who everybody would know. So I guess he's making his way across the country by playing in clubs.

I tracked him down by asking a lot for people and found out he's in a band called "Lost In the Past" and their heading their way towards the other side on the city towards Yokohama. I want to find him and join him. I also play the piano and I've been practicing ever since he left us, hoping to join him one day…now it's a dream come true.

We'll reach there tomorrow night and I can find him at a club called "Mag Dog" …I heard my his traveling with his band there tomorrow night and then they're heading to Europe. So tomorrow night will be the chance of a life time."

Kyou looked down excitedly at the girl snuggled comfortably against him and realized she was asleep. He found a jacket and then gently draped it over Tohru's shoulders.

Kyou smiled at her gently, "look at the moon Snow White. It is almost full. I like it this way better, because eit means there's still hope."

The next morning Tohru couldn't stop coughing and Kyou was beginning to think they should stop by a hospital.

"No...I can't." She wheezed, "There's only one hospital in the city and it's the one I usually go to every week. I can't risk them recognizing me and sending me back to that prison. Please Kyou…just trust me when I say I'll be okay."

"If you're sure…but tell me when you can't handle it," Kyou relented doubtfully as he lifted a cup of water to her lips.

"I want to get off and have a break…the doctor had said that I needed air." Tohru managed out weakly.

"There's a break coming up in..." Kyou glanced at his watch, "A...oh…two hours..."

"I can't wait that long…" Tohru coughed, "I-I have to get off now and stay in a bed. I didn't expect another huge attack coming on so quickly…it must be because of this dirty bus filled with dust balls. I have to go find a place with fresh air."

She reached up and tugged at a rope above her head.

"But miss! I can't leave you here in the middle of nowhere!" The driver protested and nudged his head towards the deserted road he was driving along. "There's not a soul in sight! How will you survive out there?"

"I-I don't care! Let me out! I'll die if I don't!" She managed between coughs and getting her suitcase ready.

"Just calm down please. There's a hospital twenty minutes near here. I'll just drop you of and…"

"No! I don't want to go to a hospital…" Tohru couldn't continue what she was trying to say amidst all the coughs.

. "I'm her brother." Kyou said from behind her, "I'll take care of her. She has a serious condition that needs fresh air right now! We have all the food and water we need and I'll carry her on my back to civilization even if takes me a week."

"Alright then," The driver looked at Tohru's pained expression and relented. "May Blessings come upon you both."

Kyou carried Tohru on his back and their luggage in another arm down the bus. They were in the middle of a long, yellow brick road with a lush green forest spreading deeper than they come see on either side of them. Kyou lowered Tohru on to the grass and sat by and watched her quietly.

"Water please…" Tohru gasped. Kyou immediately lifted a water bottle to her lips and tipped it.

"Thank you." She said breathlessly and lifted a hand to wipe dry her mouth. After a while she became stiller.

The two of them sat beneath the dreamy blue sky and bathed in the warm sun. A calm wind swept Tohru long hair past her eyes so she reached up to tuck them behind her ears. As her eyes turned she caught Kyou looking at her wistfully. After a moment she realized he was not staring at her, but rather staring at nothing at all and lost in thought.

This calming silence was common with the both of them. They were like old friends, who didn't need empty words to fill up the space between them. Their company was enough for the both of them. Perhaps it was the tragedy in both of their lives that made them easier for each other to understand.

"I was supposed to see my dad tonight." Kyou said finally.

"I'm sorry." Tohru replied.

"I realized something today." He continued on, oblivious to her answer, "When I saw you suffering like that. I thought you were going to die for some reason and that got me thinking."

Tohru reached out and held his hand.

"I don't like my father." His voice cracked, "He used to beat my mother and then she turned around and beat me. He left because he never loved my mother. He was a bad…bad...man…"

"Everything good about him is a fantasy I've created. It's true he played the piano well…but did you know he slammed my mother's head against it once? Yes he told me I could be whatever I wanted to be…but did you know he was an addictive gambler and owned a lot of people money? ..Ahhhh…"Kyou cried out and buried his head in Tohru's chest. Tohru just stroked it gently and held him close.

"Why am I so stupid? Why didn't I see? I guess I see the point of 'ignorance is bliss'...Ohh…Oh…why me? He would never care about me…he never wrote to me or anything…"

"Oh Kyou…" Tohru put her head on top of his and wept silently with him.

If you had happened to walk across this yellow brick road, surrounded by lush trees and bathed in yellow sunlight, the you would have seen a beautiful couple asleep side by side on the grass. The girl had long flowing dark hair and the boy had a splash of red on his head. And if you looked closer, then you would have seen that their hands were interlaced.

End SCENE THREE


End file.
